Promises
by Buick Regal Racecar 56
Summary: It was a promise he'd made to himself, one she didn't know about. A promise that whatever promise she had him make to her, he'd never, ever break it. No matter what it was. Set before and during Skyward Sword, Zelda/Link pairing.


_This is my first Zelda fanfiction, despite having been a writer of fanfiction and a fan of Zelda for years. It's set in the world of Skyward Sword, and features the most popular pairing in existence for this series, Link and Zelda. I think we can all agree, Skyward Sword had numerous cute moments featuring the two, and as a result, this story came about. I hope you all enjoy it :)_

**Disclaimer: If I owned, Legend of Zelda, I'd be living in a replica of Hyrule Castle, with statues of the villains on every hall, and stained glass windows featuring Vaati. Unfortunately, I don't, I simply own a Link plushie and a replica of the Minish Cap.**

Promises

The young girl giggled, blue eyes alight with joy as she chased the bright blue butterflies. The beautiful insects fluttered their wings lazily, not seeming to fear the blond. Not far away, observiing the scene with a small smile and his own set of blue eyes, was a young boy. Both were about four years old; the best of friends at this young age. The small blond girl giggled once more before casually collapsing into the bed of flowers that the butterflies hovered over.

"C'mon, it's nice over here." The boy did as she said; he was a bit shy, but she was used to it. Their parents and other grown ups would smile at the boy's quiet demeanor and state that he was simply too full of thoughts and ideas to talk often. Besides, he had the girl to do all the talking for both of them. The boy laid down next to her, both staring at the clouds high above them, the edges a leaf shadow pattern brushing their hair.

"I love it up here. It's so beautiful, and peaceful." The boy nodded, smiling a little.

"I wonder if it's like this below the clouds. Have you ever thought about what might be down there, Link?" He shook his head, looking at his friend quizzically. She wasn't looking back, instead continuing to stare at the sky.

"I wish I could see it. I bet it's just gorgeous." It was quiet for a moment, until the girl rapidly pushed herself up on one elbow, grinning.

"Hey Link, promise me you'll help me find out what's down there?" He laughed quietly. She was always a bit sudden like that. He simply nodded, and she smiled.

"Good. I wouldn't want to go down there alone." With that, the two friends went back to watching the sky in silence.

P

The water was just cool enough to make the hot day bearable, and the two pairs of feet dangled in the clear liquid. The waterfall on the other side of the pool roared as it always did, but it didn't carry well enough to drown out the laughter of the two ten year olds.

"So then, after Groose tripped into the potion, the blue just wouldn't come out of his hair. You should've seen him crying, it was great!" The boy next to her continued laughing, joined by her giggles. After a few minutes, the laughter died down, but their smiles didn't.

"I think it'd be funny to see you with blue hair, Link." The boy shook his head vigorously, making the girl giggle again as his dirty blond locks shifted over his forehead.

"Don't worry. It would look weird on you. I won't be shoving you into potion anytime soon." The boy sighed with relief, and quiet settled upon the children again, both splashing their feet in the clear, crisp water.

"I'm glad you're my best friend. I wouldn't want anyone else to be." He smiled in acknowledgement of her statement.

"Promise me we'll always be best friends?" She was looking at him with sincerity, and his smiled remained as he nodded. She grinned back.

"Good. Because I can't imagine anything different." It was silent again for a moment, the boy looking back to the waterfall. The girl took a chance, smirking a little, as she pushed the boy into the water. He let out a yelp of surprise, and she laughed. He glared briefly, treading water, before splashing her. She shrieked, kicking water back at him. Soon, a full fledged splash battle was underway, the splashes accompanied by their laughter.

P

"Why aren't you practicing fling? The wing ceremony is tomorrow!" The boy looked at the scolwing girl with a guilty grin, holding his hands up in defense.

"Link, I'm being serious! You have to fly your best so you can win!"

"I-"

"Don't say you will, practice!" She started shoving him toward the edge of Skyloft, and the boy just laughed, making her stop.

"This isn't funny!" Her expression, a mixture of desperation and anger, made him laugh more; she just crossed her arms and scowled.

"Fine. Don't win. Let someone else go through the other part of the ceremony with me."

"Zelda, I promised."

"So?"

"And I-" She sighed.

"Never break a promise. I know. I just really don't want to do this with Groose or Strich or Cawlin. You're my best friend, and it'd be so wonderful for you to win. Which is why I want you to practice." He nodded since she was looking back to him now.

"I promise I'll be there with you." She grinned.

"Terrific. Now, start practicing!" He laughed again, and was about to go do just that when the blond did something unexpected- she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. He blushed, making her giggle. He didn't have long to think about the kiss; the blond decided to shove him off Skyloft while he was still caught off guard. Thank goddess for Loftwings...

P

After all the chaos and insanity he'd gone through, from the simple confusion that was the Timeshift Stones to the creepiness that was Ghirahim, he was finally going to see her again. He'd promised himself that no matter what he had to go through, he'd get to her, be able to take her back home to Skyloft safely. He stopped when he saw her, thinking she looked so small in the white dress she was wearing. She turned to him, and he felt a bit of confusion at how serious she looked.

"You've come so far, Link... I'm glad you've made it." He couldn't do anything but look at her, feeling somehow that something was wrong.

"I imagine Impa filled you in on everything. We've traveled very far from home... to the distant past. In this era, the wounds inflicted on the land during the battle between the goddess and the demon king known as Demise have not yet healed. All the fairy tales about that war we heard growing up in Skyloft... Incredible as it may seem, they appear to be all too real. I think it's time you learned the whole story. Let me try to explain..."

And so she told him about everything- about why she'd been taken by that strange tornado, about why he hadn't been allowed to get to her all those times he'd caught glimpses of her, about Demise and Hylia, and who she was. He understood all of what she was saying, but not why she was saying it at this moment. She was right there- he should be able to take her home now. After he'd come so far to get her, she had to go with him... didn't she? She came over to him after revealing she was Hylia reborn.

"... All of this is part of the same great effort to prevent the revival of Demise. Stripped of his true physical form by the seal that binds him, he takes the shape of an abomination. But even in his hideous state, he's more than capable of devouring this land if we allow him to do what he desires." She looked away from him.

"We must stop him from freeing himself from the seal that imprisons him. At any cost... That is why I intend to remain here in this time and place... To sustain the seal as best I can. As long as I continue this vigil, we may be able to prevent the demon king from fully reviving himself in our own time." He went wide eyed in shock at this revelation; he'd come so far just to have to hear her say she would be staying here?

"I must maintain the seal that Hylia- rather, that I- created so long ago and keep it strong for as long as I am able. With the memories of my former life returning to me, I can see now that this is my purpose. Link, the goddess created Fi and the great blade she's a part of for very specific reasons. For the task of standing against Demise in the monstrous form he now assumes rests solely on your shoulders. Back in our own time, you've already driven him back into his prison twice now. I can't thank you enough for that, Link. During your long journey, you've grown so much. You learned wisdom from solving devious puzzles and traps. You gained power by honing and tempering both yourself and your sword. And by overcoming the trials set before you by the goddess, you've found true courage. Now that those qualities reside in you, you are worthy of wielding the power the old gods left behind for our kind. You can claim the Triforce." She held her hand out, and he took it, kneeling before her.

"Valiant hero, you have endured many hardships and journeyed far in your quest to reach this place. Along your travels you have found wisdom, power, and courage, and for this I shall bless your sword with the goddess's power. May it give you and your sword the strength to drive back the abomination that threatens this land!" His hand started to glow in the shape of three triangles.

"The mark you see upon the back of your hand is proof that you are the hero of legend and that within you dwells the sacred power. It is the mark of the Triforce. Stand now, Link. Draw your sword." Like he'd done when they were children, he did as she said, and his sword changed in a subtle way that only a close observer would notice. He held it up for a few moments, and put it down after Zelda turned away from him.

"Link, before I say another word, I feel like I owe you an apology. You see, the mark of the Triforce on your hand is a symbol of the greatest power in this world. If you can obtain the actual Triforce, we will have the power to vanquish Demise once and for all. The problem is, among the countless souls in this world, only a select few- those with an unbreakable spirit- can wield its might." She began to walk away from him, toward the stairs that were lit by a shaft of golden sunlight.

"It's impossible to know the true reason why the old gods created the Triforce. But I have a theory of my own. The gods created the Triforce, yet they specifically designed it so that their own kind could never use its power. Somehow, I think that may have been their way of giving hope to all the mortal beings of the land... Which brings us back to you. To face Demise and give the land hope, the goddess, Hylia, needed someone with an unbreakable spirit. That someone is you, Link. But spirit alone wasn't enough. You had to overcome many trials and awaken the hero within yourself so that you could wield that supreme power. And so Hylia... I mean, and so I... I knew that if it meant saving Zelda, you would throw yourself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt... I... I used you." She walked up the stairs, still facing away from him.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for pulling you into all of this, Link. But you have to understand this is a war, and the fate of the land hangs in the balance. I need your strength to tip the scales in our favor." She stopped just in front of the light.

"All that may be well intentioned and true, but it doesn't mean it's right... and it doesn't excuse my actions. But I'm prepared to pay the price for what I've done. To ensure that the seal holds, I will remain here in this time... deep in sleep for thousands of years." She turned as he moved toward her in shock, and he'd never seen her look so sad.

"Link... I can't say it enough. I'm so sorry for the way I had to involve you in this. But until my memory of things before our lifetime returned to me, I had no idea we were fated to carry such a heavy destiny. Before all this, I was happy just spending my days hanging around with you in Skyloft. I wanted that feeling to last forever." He began to run up to her as the light around her increased, and when he reached her, he found the little firefly flecks of light seemed to be hardening like a shield around her. He tried to do something to break it, but it wouldn't break.

"While it's true that I am Hylia reborn, I'm still my father's daughter and your friend... I'm still your Zelda. When Demise is finally gone, there will be no more need for the seal that binds him, and then I'll be able to wake up. So I'm going to ask you a favor, sleepyhead. Ever since we were kids, I'd always be the one to wake you up when you slept in." He could tell there were a few tears in her eyes now, as there were in his.

"But this time, when all of this is over, will you come to wake me up?" Her melancholic and apologetic expression seemed to demand a vocal response; and even if it hadn't, he would've spoken anyways.

"I promise." With one last smile, the light grew to blinding, and the material around her finally stopped glowing; a look showed she was indeed asleep. He put his head down for a moment, allowing tears to fall. Then he turned, walking away. He'd come so far, tried so hard to bring her home, and now this. Yet, he realized, it was a necessary thing for her to do. And though it hurt to watch her do this, he couldn't forget the promise he'd made to himself- that he'd never break a promise he made to her. No matter what.

_Sorry for the entire retyping of that scene from Skyward Sword XD That portion was shorter in the story, since I didn't have the game dialogue with me at the moment. But, it needed the game dialogue. This is basically four one shots, but rolled into one. And all based on that scene in Skyward Sword, because it's just the sweetest cutscene ever. And so, with that, I leave you all. Hope I see you again in the Zelda fandom :) Oh, and the 'P' between time changes are meant to take the place of the dashes that I couldn't do. It's just the initial of the title XD_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


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